Delegates representing the world's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been meeting at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health to agree on a strategy for the forthcoming negotiations on a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The FCTC will be the world's first tobacco control treaty, with a potentially major impact on global health. It is seen as a personal initiative of the WHO Secretary-General, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland.
European NGO representatives, including one from the Republic, expressed concerns about the lack of a common EU voice on the forthcoming treaty. They refer to a reluctance within the European Commission to move the issue forward, which contrasts with the pro-active approach of member states' ministries of health.
Within the Commission, the zeal of Commissioner David Byrne to see full European participation in the convention is unquestioned. However, the commitment of others with responsibility for areas such as agriculture and industry is less certain. Delegates called on European Parliament members to play a more central role in the run-up to the October negotiations.
The optimum outcome to the FCTC from the perspective of organisations such as ASH would include a global ban on duty-free tobacco sales and on TV advertising of cigarettes. They would also like to see tobacco warning labels on all packs sold worldwide in the language of the country in which they are sold. This is seen as an effective anti-smuggling measure as well as benefiting the communication of smoking risk factors. A comprehensive disclosure regime, to include full details of ingredients and smoke composition, is also high on the NGO wish-list.
The FCTC has already come under attack by the tobacco industry, which alleges that the proposed treaty will usurp the power of governments to determine national tobacco control policies. Delegates in Chicago reject this, pointing out that the FCTC will be a product of negotiations among sovereign states. NGOs will be active in the run-up to the talks, lobbying government representatives to the FCTC.